Front Page

Holding her nine-month-old baby in one arm, Salma Khanam braved the chilly morning breeze to buy subsidised rice at the Open Market Sales (OMS) point at Begum Rokeya Sarani in the capital's Mirpur area.

Some school kids, on their way home, suddenly stopped their bicycles by a paddy field. They got down as if they have seen something terrifying. But no, with utmost respect, they saluted a man carrying loads of Aman on his shoulder from the field.

Although the government took notably huge development task in the last budget, it could only utilise a disappointing 27 percent of the total outlay in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) in the first half of the current fiscal.

An audience of several hundred were enthralled by dazzling performances of famed artistes at the classical night organised by The Daily Star yesterday as part of the celebration of its 20th founding anniversary.

A legal notice was served yesterday on the government asking it to take necessary steps within seven days to ensure sufficient supply of gas for households in the capital and to control the price of liquid petroleum (LP) gas cylinder.

Editorial

We are shocked by the murder in broad daylight of a local Awami League leader in the city on Friday. The death is all the more disturbing because the incident took place as Fazlul Huq, general secretary of the ward 41 unit of the ruling party, was on his way to offer Juma prayers in a mosque. We condemn the killing and offer our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased. At the same time, we cannot but point out that the incident is a potent sign of how law and order has been taking a slide in these past few weeks. The manner in which individuals have been attacked and killed are all a pointer to the blatant nature in which crime has been committed in recent times.

After weeks of upheaval, which started as a protest against rising food prices and then snowballed into a popular movement ,Tunisia turned the page on President Zine Al Abidine Bin Ali, ushering in an opportunity for change. He ruled the Arab country for 23 years with an iron fist now making way to Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi who has taken over provisionally as interim President. He has promised to call' free and plural' elections in six months.

Sports

The Bangladesh cricketers practising at the Academy ground in Mirpur yesterday were served a sobering reminder of life's hardships when they were visited by Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, a young man whose life has been blighted by paralysis.

The almost unobserved domestic cricket heated up for all the wrong reasons prior to today's titanic clash between traditional rivals Mohammedan Sporting Club and Abahani in the Premier Cricket League at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

"To tell you the truth, if we can play our normal game, Abahani have no chance of winning" were the words from Mohammedan skipper Shakib Al Hasan, completely ruling out their archrivals in today's high-voltage Premier League match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

India collapsed to their second successive sub-200 score against South Africa as they succumbed to the hosts' pace battery to be all out for 190 within 48 overs in the second ODI at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg yesterday.

One-day cricket was the brainchild of Sir Donald Bradman and it was only money and nothing else which encouraged its introduction into the international arena, believes former Australian captain Bill Lawry.

Japanese electronics giant Panasonic launched its multifunction printers and hybrid IP-PBX systems for the Bangladesh market in Dhaka yesterday to meet communication needs of small- to mid-size offices.

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Asif Ibrahim yesterday called upon Bhutanese businessmen to import pharmaceuticals, chemical, ready-made garments, IT accessories, leather and leather goods from Bangladesh.

Nupur's eyes glittered with dreams of living in Dhaka with her husband Noor Alam, as she had just completed training in sewing and knitting from the Payerabandh project of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufactures and Exporters Association (BKMEA).

There was a time when heavy use of conventional lighting and air-conditioning system prevailed among the newly-built corporate houses of Bangladesh. Some corporate houses -- big or small -- still follow this rule of thumb while building their new office.

The trebling of onion prices in India is not just making street hawker Kamlesh Gupta struggle to keep his children in school but is now threatening the stability of the Congress party-led coalition government.

Indian billionaire Anil Ambani has been barred from investing in the stock market until December, authorities said Friday, in a settlement of a long-running regulatory inquiry into some of his companies.

Exchange of knowledge and wisdom between Bangladesh and China will enhance mutual understanding and promote diplomatic relations between the two, said Zhang Xianyi, ambassador of People's Republic of China yesterday.

BNP Standing Committee Member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said his party would go for tougher movement if the government wants to influence the municipal elections in the remaining three divisions scheduled for January 17 and 18.

Speakers at a human chain yesterday demanded formulation and full implementation of an effective policy to stop all forms of violence and discrimination against domestic workers and ensure their security and protection.

Leaders of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad yesterday demanded immediate arrest of miscreants who robbed Dhakeshwari National Temple on January 8 and beefing up security measures in the temple and other temples in the country.

Indian Border Security Force (BSF) picked up a youth from Masudpur frontier of Shibganj upazila, tortured him in their camp and left him in a critical state at a frontier point of Shingnagar yesterday morning.

Mymensingh: AL candidate violating code, alleges BNP

Letters

Many educational institutions have already arranged programmes to vote for the Sundarbans to finds its place in the Seven Wonders of the World. It is very important to arrange more such programmes, because time is running out. This year the New Seven Wonders of The World will be announced. So, the educational institutions, especially the universities and colleges, should arrange programmes for the pupils to vote for the Sundarbans.

The lakeside walks are one of the nicest things to happen in North Dhaka but I am shocked at the way some of those with lakeside houses treat them! These are not poor people, sir! I speak of the Gulshan side of the Badda lake.

The decade (2000-2010) has been marked by China's relentless rise from largely insignificant player in the global economy to the most prominent driver of the world economy. In the year 2000, China was the world's sixth largest economy behind the U.S., Japan, Germany, France, Britain and Italy. Today China is the world's second largest economy after the United States, with a GDP of $5 trillion compared to $14 trillion for the U.S. and is set to outpace America as the world's largest economy before the end of this decade. While the U.S. economy is facing anemic growth (barely 2%), the Chinese economy is growing by more than 10% a year. Already, China has overtaken America as the world's biggest trading nation. China is now the biggest exporter of goods to America with a trade surplus of more than $200 billion in China's favour. China is also bankrolling America's budget deficits. With growing incomes of the Chinese consumers, China is now less dependent on the U.S. market while America is looking forward to China as a market for its products.

Contributions toward social and economic development of some extra-ordinary Arab women deserve appreciation and acclamation. Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, wife of the founder and the first president of United Arab Emirates (UAE) late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who is known as the 'Mother of the Nation' made significant contributions in the establishment and promotion of women's rights in the Arab world. She also contributed in the field of literacy, mother and child care, welfare of disabled, elderly persons and orphans.

The incumbent government has celebrated 2nd anniversary of their tenure a few days back. Flashy advertisements have been made through every medium possible. It even organised a concert to commemorate its success. But was it worth it?

An interesting front page report on the subject was published in a local daily on 2nd. January which set a pessimistic tone on the subject. However, despite delays and disappointments, the government's attitude and approach has been reasonably positive and pragmatic.

Lately, with all the reports of drug abuse, stalking and other uncivilized behaviour, I was very frustrated with the youth of Bangladesh. I felt relieved as I watched Brandwitz 2010 on ATN Bangla. The contenders had to present ways of branding Bangladesh through the ICC World Cup to promote foreign investment. Their creativity really impressed me. I could see great skills of leadership in them.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressed the nation on January 6, 2011 on completion of 2 years of her government. In her speech she pointed out the government's successes, one of them being the law and order. She claimed that law and order is better as her government has taken a tough stance against crime and corruption. This observation is so preposterous that I am at a loss for words. Home Minister Sahara Khatun also speaks in that vein, are they living in a bubble where no news of the outside world reaches them?

We have been residing at Kadamtala, an underprivileged area of Bashabo, for many years. In this area from 8am to 3pm we do not get any gas supply. We complained to the Titas Gas many times, but the situation is deteriorating day by day. It is very difficult to feed the children before they go to school and college in the morning.

On 31st December 2010, I went to the Shahjalal Int'l Airport to see off one of my family members who was going to USA. Some passengers there were complaining about our airport services. There was a senior US citizen among them who told me that in no international airport in the world they have to pick up their own luggage except for this airport. This is hard for the aged persons.

There have been some substantial changes in the education sector lately. The initiatives of the present government have been welcomed and well accepted by all strata of society. However, while preparing the curriculum or upgrading the syllabus or contents of the books, quite a significant things are to be considered. Leadership and self-development related topics could be incorporated in the syllabus. Besides, the duties and responsibilities of a good citizen can be included in the textbooks in an interesting way. The young learners are likely to be motivated by this. The lessons should be as easy as possible.

Amid fears of chaos in Nepal, the UN yesterday ended its peace mission as the government and the main Opposition Maoists inked a crucial eleventh-hour deal to monitor the arms and the army of the former rebels and the military.

Unrest engulfed Tunisia yesterday after a popular rebellion forced the president to flee: Dozens of inmates were killed in two prison fires, looters emptied shops and torched the main train station and gunfire echoed through the capital.

A day after the Union Government announced it is considering reducing the strength of security forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir, the Army yesterday said that the present situation in the state does not allow cut down of troops and the decision should be reconsidered.

Tunisia reopened all airports and the country's airspace yesterday, a day after president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia following violent anti-government protests, the civil aviation authority announced.

Arts & Entertainment

To observe the 3rd death anniversary of Natyacharya Selim Al Deen, a three-day theatre festival has begun at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) from January 14. Named after the late theatre icon, the festival has been organised by his troupe Dhaka Theatre, in association with Jahangirnagar University and BSA. The festival that ends today features seven Al Deen plays.

Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, High Commission of India organised a musical soiree featuring Rabindra Sangeet by Adity Mohsin on January 14. The event was held at Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Gulshan, Dhaka.

Popular singer Fahmida Nabi released a solo album featuring lyrics penned by playwright Selim Al Deen. The album, titled “Akash O Shamudra Aupar”, features 10 songs by the late theatre icon. The formal launching ceremony of the album was held at the National Theatre Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, as part of the Selim Al Deen Festival.

A two-day art exhibition featuring works of participants from a five-day workshop was held recently at the Department of Sculpture, Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA), University of Dhaka, according to a press release.

OP-ED

The Prime Minister of Bhutan L.J.Y Thinley, during his recent visit to Bangladesh, gave a lecture on Gross National Happiness in Dhaka University. He described people in today's world as "economic animals" and characterised development activities as tools for materialistic growth. He said that societies were doing little to make people happy.

Evaluation of the government's two-year performance continues. Some evaluators have concluded that the government has failed to keep its election pledges. They have their own logic, evaluation methodology and basis for such a conclusion. More logical, however would be to measure success level based on the assessment of the nature of activities, prevailing socio-economic and political environment, resource mobilisation opportunities, time needed for accomplishment of targets vs. time spent, etc. The conclusions often ignored the above factors, which reduced the value of most conclusions, leaving room for doubt about their neutrality and fairness.

As we look at the crystal ball, and try to forecast the major economic trends for the coming year, it is clear that while there are reasons to be optimistic about the global outlook one cannot rule out the possibility of major disruptions to the world economy either due to unforeseen shocks or due to worsening condition of one or a few major undercurrents that were known but ignored. What are the likely economic events that we can expect this year?

In the last few days the BNP chairperson and leader of the opposition in the parliament delivered two hard hitting speeches in two separate forums of her supporters. The language of both of her speeches reflected her desperation and contained a threatening phrase like "dire consequences" for the government leaders when they fall from power. She spelled out in clear term what her government will do in dealing with political opponents when, not if, she is voted to power.

Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has fled to Saudi Arabia with his family. Having lorded it over in Tunisia for twenty three years, without much to show for performance in this long period, the just deposed president now must depend on the largesse of the Saudi royals in order to live a decent life for himself and his family, at least for the immediate future.